Chinese Youth and the Communist Party of China: Cultivating a Loyal Generation through Ideological and Political Education

Abstract

This article addresses the development under Xi Jinping of ideological and political education at the university level. It provides an overview of trends among youth, major policies and recent developments, and an analysis of how ideological and political education is organised at universities and incorporated into the curricula. It also argues that ideological and political education targeting youth needs to be understood within the wider context of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) ideological work and legitimacy concerns. Xi Jinping and the CPC leadership view youth as central for both the Party’s survival and China’s future, but at the same time new values and ideals among youth are a concern which they want to counteract.